The field of the invention pertains to sprinklers and sprinkler spray shields. The invention relates more particularly to a spray shield apparatus having a pair of independently adjustable baffles which may be variably angled relative to each other to optimally deflect spray emitted from a sprinkler.
Sprinklers and sprinkler systems have commonly been used to irrigate agricultural tracts as well as household lawns and gardens. Generally, sprinklers are the exposed components of an underground network of water pipes, and widely spaced to effectively reach the entirety of a target area. Unfortunately, however, sprinklers are oftentimes positioned adjacent a curb, driveway, walkway, building, fence, or other structure or location where it is not desirable to have water sprayed. Furthermore, when adjusting or otherwise attending to an active sprinkler, the spray may wet or otherwise interfere in the work of the attending individual.
Various spray shields or deflectors have been developed in an effort to confine and/or redirect water spray to a target area, as well as to shield a structure, location, or person from undesired water spray. One example of a sprinkler shield is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,009,652 having a single plate slidably and rotatably affixed to a sleeve. A set screw adjustably secures the sleeve to an upper portion of a post, and the post is adjustably mounted on the lower portion of a sprinkler pipe by a pair of collars using set screws.
And in U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,423, an arc-shaped splash shield is shown mounted at the top of a support rod and partially surrounding a sprinkler. The support rod has a hook at the bottom of the support rod which engages and clamps to a sprinkler pipe when the upper end of the support rod is drawn away from the sprinkler pipe.
Finally, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,039,015, a hand held splash shield is disclosed having a rigid polymeric rectangular sheet is with a mesh screen housing. The mesh screen housing operates to diffuse water spray emitted from a sprinkler head when positioned adjacent a sprinkler head.
Perhaps the greatest deficiency common to all of the aforementioned patents is the use of a single shield or baffle piece. In both the ""625 and ""015 patents, a single shield piece having a planar configuration is disclosed. While the single plane configuration effectively operates to confine spray to one side of the shield, i.e. encompassing a 180 degree spray range, it prevents angular adjustment of the spray range to optimally suit a variety of areas and applications. In particular, the prior art single plane shields/baffles would be unable operate efficiently, i.e. limit spray to a target area, when positioned at a corner location of a lawn or garden. And while the ""423 patent discloses an arc-shaped shield piece which encompasses an angular spray range of less than 180 degrees, the rigid, one-piece splash shield precludes angular adjustment of the spray range.
Furthermore, the manner of adjustably rotating and securing the shield/baffle at various deflection angles in the ""652 and ""423 patents may be inadequate for performing simple, quick angle adjustments. In particular, the sprinkler attachment disclosed in the ""652 patent adjustably rotates and secures the baffle component by releasing and resetting a set-screw mounted on a sleeve which supports the baffle. The clamps used in the ""652 patent also use set-screws to adjustably secure mounting collars to the sprinkler pipe. The use of set-screws, however, while functioning to securely maintain a desired position, may be difficult and arduous to release and reset for many users, especially when the set-screw begins to rust or corrode. For the ""423 patent, because the arc-shaped shield/baffle is secured to the top of the support rod, rotatably adjusting the arc-shaped shield to a desired deflection angle requires that the entire sprinkler shield unit, including the support rod and brace, must be lifted and rotated and the brace reset on the sprinkler.
Thus, while the devices disclosed in the ""652, ""423, and ""015 patents serve to generally shield against unwanted spray from a water sprinkler, the inherent structural designs function to limit the shielding operation, which consequently also limits their utility in a wide range of uses and applications.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple, durable, and cost-effective spray shield apparatus having two shield portions capable of adjusting the shield angle therebetween, for optimally containing and/or redirecting water spray to a target area, and preventing water spray from reaching a protected structure, person or area.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a simple, durable, and cost-effective spray shield apparatus having an adjustable locking mechanism for adjustably setting the relative angle between the two shield portions at desired shield angles, without many moving parts.
The present invention is for a sprinkler shield apparatus for shielding against spray from a sprinkler. The sprinkler shield apparatus has an elongated support rod with an upper shank and a lower shank. The lower shank is capable of anchoring the elongated support rod relative to the sprinkler. Additionally, the sprinkler shield apparatus has a pair of baffles with mounting ends connected to the upper shank of the elongated support rod. At least one of the mounting ends is a pivot end which is adapted to pivot about the upper shank. This enables the pair of baffles to achieve various desired baffle angles between each other. The sprinkler shield apparatus also has means for adjustably securing the pair of baffles relative to each other at the various desired baffle angles.